Bubble Bobble 6 @ Arizona Event Center

What is it with European DJ/producers and masks? Though the phenomenon of donning bizarre facial disguises while performing isn’t securely limited to beat-jugglers from said continent (Deadmau5 and Bl3nd being prime exceptions), there’s been an inordinate amount of masked mixmasters from across the pond over the past decade. Like the…

Kansas City’s Samantha Fish Brings Youth and Energy to the Blues

The month of March has been rife with big concerts and unforgettable performances. And one of the more memorable moments thus far was when the Samantha Fish Band played her first-ever show in Phoenix while headlining Blues Blast 2014. The 25-year-old blues wunderkind, who hails from Kansas City, Missouri, is…

KWSS Announces the Lineup for Phochella 2014

When Beef Vegan and the other cats from KWSS’ The Morning Infidelity take over The Sail Inn for their annaul Phochella fest in mid-April, it will be something of a bittersweet celebration. Besides commemorating the sixth year of Vegan hosting the popular morning radio show and toasting KWSS’ fervent fanbase,…

The Dap-Kings @ Stinkweeds

If you’re familiar with the superb discography of Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings, it goes without saying that the nine talented musicians backing up the golden-voiced songstress are vastly steeped in the realms of R&B, soul, and funk. Depending on whom you ask, possessing immense knowledge of various genres is…

The Dap-Kings to Perform Special DJ Set at Stinkweeds on Friday

If you’re familiar with the superb discography of Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings, it goes without saying that the nine talented musicians backing up the golden-voiced songstress are vastly steeped in the realms of R&B, soul, and funk. Depending on whom you ask, possessing immense knowledge of various genres is…

Singer-Songwriter Justin Moody Doesn’t Make Pretty Things

Justin Moody writes songs. They sit firmly in the folk vein — dark, self-deprecating tales that are often vicious to their characters, capturing the excruciating eye for detail that only a storyteller can see. Justin Moody also lives in a one bedroom apartment on the edge of Arcadia, a space…

How John Mayer, a Strat, and a Show Helped My Music Writing

As a 15-year-old growing up in Prescott, where lifted trucks, military dreams, and D-grade metal bands are the norm, I was often a black sheep for playing blues music. Showing up to open mics with a Fender Stratocaster under my arm elicited raised eyebrows from guys 50 years my senior,…

Funky Cornbread Anniversary Party @ Yucca Tap Room

The folks behind long-running hip-hop affair The Blunt Club are going old school this week — way old school. The turntables inside the Yucca Tap Room, 29 West Southern Avenue in Tempe, will spin things all the way back to the early Aughts on Thursday, March 13, in order to…

Blues Blast 2014 – Hance Park – 3/8/14

Blues Blast 2014 Margaret T. Hance Park 3/8/14 It might have been a bit warm this past Saturday when the annual Blues Blast went down at Margaret T. Hance Park in Phoenix, but that didn’t keep both local musicians and fans of the genre alike from attending the outdoor music…

Banana Gun Gets Heavier and Darker with Its New Album

Banana Gun has an odd tale of how the band ended up in Phoenix. As bass player Ross Troost tells it, he and drummer Ian Breslin and guitarist Nick Dehaan were on a West Coast tour nearly a decade ago in their old band, Fat Rabbit, when they swung through…

14 Phoenix Musicians You Need to Hear in 2014

It’s 2014 and high time you got some new music into your playlist — seriously. It’ll help that Phoenix’s music scene has plenty of fresh jams and brand-new tunes to offer, as there’s an overflow of gifted and prolific musicians cranking out sounds. Since many local acts will make waves,…

KONGOS Rock Out for a Nationwide Audience on Jimmy Kimmel Live!

If KONGOS had not officially “made it” before Wednesday night, they certainly have now. The South African-born, Phoenix-based rock quartet made their national television debut on Jimmy Kimmel Live! and while their single “Come With Me Now” did not sound quite as buff as it does on Lunatic, their latest…

Six Must-See Bands at Blues Blast 2014

If you’re a fan of blues music, particularly the kind proffered by local bands and artists, plan to spend part of this weekend soaking up some 12-bar down-home sounds in the great outdoors. The latest Blues Blast, the Valley’s premier festival celebrating the genre, will be held on Saturday at…

The 25 Best Club Candids Photos of February

February was most certainly a busy month for the Club Candids crew. Each and every week, we hit up hot nightspots and dance joints in both Tempe and Scottsdale and grabbed snaps of some of the mass revelry that was taking place within. And believe us, there was a lot…

Pete Tong @ The Monarch Theatre

If you know a thing or three about electronic dance music, no doubt you’ve heard of Pete Tong or listened to the highly influential DJ’s popular BBC Radio 1 program, Essential Mix. At the very least, you’ve raged to some of the formerly neophyte EDM artists, producers, and beatsmiths whom…